Global Education Plan

Integrating global education into your classroom curriculum can seem daunting. Below is a link to a four-week unit that incorporates different elements of global education. Enjoy!


https://docs.google.com/document/d/19aTd4Ex8njRN6lxnCaPQQMMGoCherPbH1gzoH1_zs0o/pub

Project-Based Learning Opportunities - Near and Far

There are many organizations that promote local and international opportunities for teachers to build their understanding and practice of global education. Below are a few of those resources.

1. National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS - http://www.nols.edu): We believe positive, ethical leaders change the world. Based on this belief, NOLS has become the leader in wilderness education. Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, NOLS takes students of all ages on remote wilderness expeditions and teaches them technical outdoor skills, leadership, and environmental ethics. 

My time in NOLS

2. International Center for Photography (https://www.icp.org): ICP is a center where photographers and artists, students, and scholars can create and interpret the world of the image, exploring photography and visual culture as mediums of empowerment, and catalysts for wide-reaching social change.

3. Fund For Teachers (http://www.fundforteachers.org/about-us.php): Fund for Teachers supports educators' efforts to develop skills, knowledge and confidence that impact student achievement. By trusting teachers to design unique fellowships, Fund for Teachers grants validate teachers' professionalism and leadership, as well. Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has invested $22 million in nearly 6,000 teachers, transforming grants into growth for teachers and their students.

From my FFT grant to Mongolia

Global Education Student Assessment

It is important for students to see how their thinking develops as they delve into global education and participation. Below are tools used for both student self-assessment of their global skills and teacher feedback.

Likert scales
Likert scales consist of a range of positions between two opposites. They can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including participatory assessment. You can use as many or as few scales as you wish. The global citizenship skills chart (below) shows how a series of Likert scales can easily be compiled into a self-assessment tool. Before drawing the scales, you may want to discuss with learners the measures they think should be assessed, although it may be easier to give them a ready-made chart and ask them to suggest changes.

Global Citizenship in the Classroom – A guide for teachers

Global citizenship skills chart
High score	1	2	3	4	5	Low score
Worked well as part of a group						Did not work well as part of a group
Contributed to discussions						Did not contribute to discussions
Listened to other opinions easily						Found it difficult to listen to other opinions
Planned well						Did not plan well
Skills gained:
Areas for improvement: Further tools Expression cards Learners write comments on cards and put them into a postbox in the classroom. Sentence starters are a useful way of framing comments, for example, ‘I learnt that...’, ‘I want to learn more about...’. Pick a card from the box, and use it as a basis for discussion. Traffic lights Learners use red, amber and green cards to communicate how well they understand. How do we know it’s working? If you would like to measure attitudinal change in global citizenship, this resource provides teachers with a toolkit for learners from early years to Key Stage 5. Available from Reading International Solidarity Centre: www.risc.org.uk  Additional resources include: Skype  www.skype.com ConnectAllSchools  http://www.connectallschools.org Peace Corps Speakers Match  http://wws.peacecorps.gov/wws/speakersmatch/ ePals  http://www.epals.com Primary Source  www.primarysource.org Edutopia  http://www.edutopia.org Outreach World http://www.outreachworld.org The UN Works  http://www.un.org/works/ Global Education Conference  http://www.globaleducationconference.com Online Newspapers  http://www.onlinenewspapers.com

Digital Learning Inventory and Resources

Technology is an amazing way to globalize your classroom. Through technology, students are able to experience and learn about places far from their own home. My school does not have easy access to technology - we have af ew computer carts and ten iPads - but even with a small number computers digital tools make it easy for students to share the experience. Below are great digital tools you can use to globalize your classroom. 

Example of Digital Learning (ThingLink): https://www.thinglink.com/scene/717526640208379905

Additional digital resources include:

1. Padlet: This is a great way to encourage students to have conversations and debates on a variety of topics. Click on the link below to see how paddle can be used in the classroom: https://padlet.com/deanne_moore/globalcitizenship

2. BrainPop: Provides wonderful interactive videos that engage students in learning about issues from around the world. 

3. Khan Academy: Great tutorial site that enhances student learning.

4. Google Classroom: Google has a variety of tools that makes teaching easier for teachers and fun for kids!

5. Blogger.com: An easy way for students to blog their thoughts throughout a curricular unit. Teachers can read and respond to student comments.

Global Education

Over the past year I have been thinking about the term "global education" in different contexts. Global education can mean traveling abroad, it can be learning a new language and understanding how the nuances of language impacts culture, it can also be honoring cultural, racial and ethnic diversity. In my school community where 30% of students are African American, 30% are Latino, 30% are Asian and 10% are caucasian, this last category of global education holds the most weight. 

My school is building a culture of acceptance and inclusivity where students feel comfortable asking questions about diverse practices, are excited to learn about different languages and customs, and are open to new perspectives of the world. We believe that if 6th grade students start by learning about different cultures then accepting others based on their sexuality or learning needs will become natural. 

In today's world where fear drives decisions and differences are viewed with suspicion rather than celebration it is important to promote global understanding in school communities. This guide provides my thoughts on global education and examples of how global education does not have to be an additional part of classroom instruction but a seamless part of classroom culture.

Cartagena!

On a whim, Lauren, Sandra and I bought tickets to Cartagena. It was a last minute decision and 24 hours before we were to depart on Viva Colombia, we booked our trip.

Here was the plan - to spend 48 hours in Cartagena on a whirlwind tour of the city. Conveniently and coincidently, it was also Sandra's mother's birthday on Friday night and we went along to celebrate.

On Friday afternoon we jumped on a 45 minute flight to Cartagena. We were greeted by intense heat and humidity along with the colors and music of the city. We drove to Sandra's brother's apartment in Manga and surprised her mother and father with our visit. Sandra's family was incredibly kind to us. They set up air mattresses for us to sleep on, fed us and made sure we were well taken care of all weekend.

That evening we went to the old, walled city in Cartagena and wandered the myriad of winding streets confined within the city walls. We sat down in one of the huge squares, reminiscent of the grand plaza in Venice, and were romanced by the musicians, dancers and light shows.

After a delicious breakfast of arepas con huevos homemade by Sandra's mother, we headed back to the walled city where we quickly had a second breakfast of fresh fruits. The fruits and vegetables are incredible in Cartagena with street vendors actively selling their produce. 

We spent hours wandering the old city enjoying the people, vendors and beautiful architecture.

We stopped as often as we could to take advantage of the refreshing juices that were available throughout the city. This happened to be my favorite jugo de mango!

We met up with two other TGC fellows who were based in Cartagena and headed to the Castle de San Felipe. This was an outpost used to defend the city. There are incredible tunnels and catacombs that lead from the castle to the sea in case a quick departure from the city was needed. We had fun exploring the tunnels and admiring the views.

Afterwards we went back to the old city to watch the sunset and ate a delicious meal celebrating the seafood that is so readily available in Cartagena.

The following morning we wandered back through the old city for some last minute food and souvenirs before spending a wonderful afternoon with Sandra´s family. We discussed politics, the upcoming referendum on the peace accords, Colombian history and the future elections in Colombia. It was wonderful speaking with Sandra's father about the changes he has seen in Colombia in the past fifty years.

We had a wonderful time in Cartagena and reluctantly made our way back to the airport  to head back to Bucaramanga.

Colombian Hospitality

Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to experience the full extent of Colombian hospitality. Below are some pictures of just a few of those moments...

• Celebrating my ¨25th birthday¨ in Giron and eating onces.

• Making arepas con huevos with Sandra´s mother and getting treated to her wonderful cooking for lunch as well

• Spending time with Sandra who graciously took us on a grand tour of Cartagena

Bringing MELS to Colombia

On Monday, my host teacher Sandra asked me if I would be willing to give a one hour presentation to teachers about inquiry and/or critical thinking. Each of those topics are incredibly complex and I quickly texted some amazing MELS teachers for ideas about how to present these concepts in a way that was meaningful...in Spanish! When I asked for more details about the meeting location and number of teachers I slowly began to realize that the intimate gathering I had imagined was actually fifty teachers in their cafeteria. I was actually running their weekly PD session.

After receiving thoughtful emails from Hillary, Melissa and Hilary, I started to outline a plan. I decided to focus on how to promote critical thinking in the classroom.

In true MELS style, we would begin the session with an initiative. I told each group of teachers that they were stranded on a desert island and had to choose five out of fifteen items that would help them survive. They needed justify their selection of each item. To their credit, the teachers kindly translated my Spanish and jumped into the activity with lively debates all around. Each group then eagerly presented their choices. I then showed them a diagram of Bloom´s Taxonomy and asked them to identify which pieces they had to use in their activity - did they need to remember things, evaluate choices, analyze options, etc. Once again, teachers shared their thoughts and identified the top part of the pyramid as the space where critical thinking happens. Finally, we did a gallery walk where teachers answered the questions, ¨What are examples of critical thinking in your classroom?¨and ¨Why is critical thinking important?¨ Teachers discussed their responses and were excited to have a follow-up meeting with me about other activities or strategies they could use to increase critical thinking in their classes.

Overall it was a wonderful experience - the teachers were generous with my Spanish, excited to engage in conversations about critical thinking and interested in learning more. It was great to bring a little bit of MELS to Gimnasio Cantillana.

Teacher responses to the gallery walk

Cabecera Del Llano - Part 2

Today Lauren and I went back to Cabecera Del Llano to visit the English classes in the middle and high school. We were paraded around from room to room, handing out prizes to students who asked us questions in English and answering questions they had about the United States.

Initially we received the following questions:

• Where are you from?
• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite animal?
• Can you sing?

As we moved into the higher grades we started getting different questions:

• What do you think of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?
• Do you wear make-up?
• What are your impressions of Colombia?
• Are your eyes real?
• Do you drink and drive?

I, in turn, asked them about about their opinion of their president, Juan Santos (whom they gave a definitive thumbs down to) and their thoughts on the French soccer team (no competition to the Colombian team). 

The visit was over too soon - with only two hours and ten classes to visit we were not able to have the conversations with students I would have liked to have had. I want to know their thoughts about the education system, about the recent peace agreements in Colombia, and what they want to do in the future.

Students were excited to meet native English speakers and were trying to use their ntoebooks to hold conversations. I would love to return to this school and work with small groups of students and encourage their love of languages and motivate them to continue learning. 

Fun Times in Colombia

Patacones y guacamole

Mangostine

Meeting Teachers in Colombia

Trying Big Bottomed Ants

Cabecera Del Llano

The girls at Gimnasio Cantillana are required to complete 80 hours of community service in order to graduate. Once a week, the 10th and 11th graders teach English to primary school students at one of the local public schools in Bucaramanga, Cabecera del Llano. On Tuesday, Lauren and I joined them at the school. Lauren and I toured many elementary school classes and were warmly greeted with songs, questions (how much does a cup of coffee cost in the United States) and hugs.

Like many public schools in Colombia, the students come from families who have been forced to leave the countryside due to violence and lack of employment opportunities. In the morning, secondary students attend classes from 6:20 - 12:00. In the afternoon the primary school students enter the building from 12:30 - 6:20. The classes we observed had close to forty students in tight classroom spaces. Many of these students will stay in this school and will enter SENA, the technical training program for students in Colombia.

Ingrid, one of the English teachers, has been working to increase the level of English language and comprehension for her secondary school students but she is having a hard time motivating her students to learn. She asked Lauren and I to return to the school on Thursday morning to speak to her students in English and answer questions they have about education and about the United States.

We are looking forward to spending more time there on Thursday morning!

Entrance to the School

Answering questions about the United States

Middle School Students

What is American Culture?

Being in Colombia makes me think about American culture and the difficulty I have had in tryign to describe American culture to Colombians. Everywhere we go in Colombia we hear salsa music, get treated to dances such as cumbia and salsa, enjoy looking at the traditional and colorful Colombian clothing and eat traditional Colombian foods. Each element of Colombian culture is presented to us with pride and excitement. 

I felt this cultural pride most strongly in the public schools of Bogota and the small towns surrounding Bucaramanga. Students played traditional instruments and danced salsa. Being at a Cambridge School I wonder how students here connect or see their culture. The curriculum at Gimnasio Cantillana focuses on western history and values. In one fourth grade class the students were reading a passage about Neil Armstrong and one student asked the teacher to name a famous Colombian astronaut. The teacher responded, ¨there are no Colombian astronauts because, as everyone knows, Americans are smarter.¨ I saw this pattern repeat itself throughout the day and continue to think about the possible connection between private education in Colombia and student diconnect from their culture.

On the other hand, I have also been thinking about American culture. When thinking about American culture, it is hard for me to pin point specific elements that I would present to an international visitor. Can we claim pizza and hamburgers as American food? Is hip hop American music? Are jeans American clothing? The more I think about culture in the United States the more I appreciate the vast melting pot we have in our country and the importance of embracing our cultural differences. Every group of people who comes to the United States has added to the melting pot and it is important for us to acknowledge that America, its population and demographics and culture, will continue to shift and change. The culture of change and cultural exchange and diffusion, of religious freedom, of appreciating that we are a country of immigrants is who we are as a people and how I can best describe out culture. Even if we cannot claim a typical food as American, we need to embrace our culture of acceptance and curiosity because that, in the end, is what unites us.